


dhale25

by ericaismeg



Series: The Snap Chat Works [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Actor Derek Hale, Alternate Universe - Actors, I have no idea what to tag this as, M/M, Protective Scott, Snap Chat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-07
Updated: 2014-04-07
Packaged: 2018-01-18 11:26:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1426750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/ericaismeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek Hale is an actor in Los Angeles, Stiles is a fanboy in Toronto. When Derek posts his Snap Chat username on Twitter, inviting people to add him, Stiles gets brave and adds him.</p><p>They develop a snapping relationship, and it gets intense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	dhale25

**Author's Note:**

> I barely read over this, so all mistakes are mine. PLEASE point them out. Also I've been having formatting issues around things that are italicized and bold. Sorry in advance. This is based loosely on some truth on an experience I've had. (See the end for more details).

 

 **STILES:** _oh MY GOD YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHO JUST SNAPPED ME_

 **SCOTT:** _was it that actor dude?  
_ ****

**STILES:** _um DUDE, it's not just an 'actor dude'  
_ **STILES:** _it's derek freaking haleee, omg he is so gorgeous_

 **SCOTT:** _didn't he delete the app like a year ago?_

 **STILES:** _yeah he got a girlfriend, remember?  
_ **STILES:** _it'd just be creepy if we kept talking with them dating_

 **SCOTT:** _right, so now he's suddenly back?_

 **STILES:** _apparently, and he checked up on me!_

 **SCOTT:** _that's great, buddy...but like, be careful  
_ **SCOTT:** _he's probably doing this to other people y'know—and even if he's not, remember how sad you were when he deleted the app?_

 **STILES:** _I refuse to let you ruin my mood because this is exciting!  
_ **STILES:** _we developed a friendship last year_

 **SCOTT:** _through snap chat?_

 **STILES:** _yes, god, go have fun with kira_

 **SCOTT:** _she says to be careful too man, but we love you!_

 

Stiles quickly opens up the Snap Chat app. He stares at the name for a second. God, is it weird that he'd missed that name on his screen? And _Derek Hale's face_. Stiles had turned off notifications for the stupid app. He'd gotten one too many snaps from Scott making _awful_ faces, and while he thought they were funny as hell, he'd also gotten way too many snaps from _Jackson_ who had decided to use the app to show Stiles how great his life is in London. Not to mention the photos he'd sent of Lydia's beautiful face with the caption “ **SHE LOVES ME** ”. After Derek Hale had deleted the app, there hadn't been a point to keep the notifications on.

Now he only goes on when he's seriously bored, and catches up on two weeks' worth of snaps. That's the beautiful, and the _awfulness_ of Snap Chat. People would continue to send you snaps even if you _never, ever_ respond to them. People don't seem to give a shit if you open up a snap about their lives or not. Stiles usually ignores any from Jackson, opening every other from Scott, and he'd always, _always_ check the ones from Erica because she usually sent the funniest (and meanest) ones.

Seeing _Derek Hale_ 's name on his screen again had had his heart pounding. He should have checked this a week ago, but hadn't bothered. He forgets about the app most of the time. When he snapped back early this morning, he had almost figured that Derek had deleted the app again. Not entirely sure _why_ Stiles thought that the dude would download the app only to delete it, he was so relieved when his phone lit up with Derek's name on it.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

TWO YEARS AGO

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

Stiles is laying in bed, scrolling through Twitter. The truth is he's been going crazy out of his mind with boredom. Tonight, Scott is off with his girlfriend Allison, and everyone else he hangs around had been busy. It just isn't _fair_ , he thinks. That's when he sees one of his favourite actors from this web-series that Stiles watches like a religion had tweeted something interesting.

 

 **Derek Hale  
** @dhale25

_Just got Snap Chat. What's the fuss all about? Idk. Add me @dhale25_

 

Stiles has to read it about three times, before deciding _why not_. So he downloads the app, and adds Derek Hale. Derek's not insanely famous, by any means really, but he definitely has a _huge_ fan base. He is part of this incredible show that has been doing amazing and wonderful things. The writing is great, the characters are awesome, and the cast has developed a close relationship with themselves and their fans. Stiles hadn't been that surprised that Derek would put his username for Snap Chat on Twitter.

What he _is_ surprised about is receiving a snap _immediately_. It's a blurry photo of a bar, with some lights lit up on a potential stage. Stiles can't be too sure. The caption is, **Thanks for the add!** and when the photo fades, Stiles realizes that Derek Hale had added him back.

Okay, that's pretty cool. An actor, one that Stiles really respects and likes, had added him on Snap Chat. It isn't _that_ big of a deal, especially since he goes back on Twitter to see that some other people had tweeted him thanking him for the add back, but still. Stiles settles in for the evening, takes a photo of his dark room, and replies with, **Hope your night is going good!**

What else is he supposed to say to some moderately famous actor that's in a whole other country? The response is immediate. He opens the photo to see Derek Hale in a booth, holding a drink. Stiles takes a screen shot before it disappears. The caption says, **Thanks! Back at you! SHOTS!**

That's a little...alright, whatever. Stiles shifts on his bed, and takes another photo. This time, of his face in the dark. He writes, **I'm a whiskey kind of guy** and sends it, heart pounding.

This is just such a bizarre situation. He almost doesn't believe it's actually Derek Hale, who he goes out of his way to watch on his screen on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays when another snap comes in. He fumbles to open it. It's Derek, taking a photo of himself doing a shot. **Just did a whiskey shot 4 you**.

He takes a screen shot of the photo with four seconds to go.

Stiles is flattered. He turns his bedroom light on, and takes a photo of him smiling. He writes, **I bet you do that for everyone.** Stiles casually draws a winky face on his shirt in the photo before he sends it out.

He doesn't receive another snap for a while, but he also notices that Derek hasn't even opened it yet. Stiles puts his phone on his desk beside his bed, pulls open his laptop, and decides to do something else. Anything else.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

When Stiles wakes up the next morning, he has two notifications from Derek Hale. He opens the snaps, trying to slow his heartbeat and failing.

The first is a photo with Derek in the back of a cab or a limo. He has a big, drunken smile on his face. **Night, StilestheKnight**. Stiles screen shots it. He doesn't want to forget that, and he definitely wants to show Scott who probably wouldn't believe him.

The second photo is Derek lying down in bed, with a white wife-beater on. He's not smiling, but he's not exactly frowning either. **This app brings crazies.**

Stiles snorts, screen shots it, and then realizes that Derek might not like that. It's almost a breech of privacy, and really, how would Stiles feel if someone kept screen shotting his shit. _Especially_ his god awful snaps of his face that he sends to Scott, and sometimes Erica. He quickly takes a photo of his white wall, and then types, **Srry for the screenshots.**

He pulls out the little pen and adds, in the neatest writing he can manage, **_No more._ **

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

 

When Stiles tells Scott who had snapped him last night, Scott raises an eyebrow and tries really hard to believe Stiles. Stiles pulls out his phone and goes through the last few screen shots and Scott whistles.

“Whoa, dude, that's kind of impressive. But like you said, he's probably snapping a shit ton of people right now.” Scott frowns. “Which kind of sucks, but at least you get to be like one in a hundred!”

Stiles snorts. “Thanks buddy. At least he replied to my snaps? I still think it's pretty cool. It probably won't last long or anything though. Who knows, he might never snap me again?”

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

If Stiles had known at the beginning, he might have rubbed it in Scott's face. That day, Derek had replied to his snap with a photo of his face and shirtless chest—Stiles could see a pool in the background—and the words, **Thanks man. How are you?** Stiles hadn't replied immediately, trying to play it cool. In the end, he gave in and that's where it all truly began.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

By the time a month had rolled around, Derek and Stiles had developed a routine. Whenever Stiles would wake up, he'd wake up to a late-night snap from Derek. Then they would continue to snap here and there throughout the day. Before Stiles crawls into bed, he'd send Derek a snap to say good night. Sometimes they wore shirts, sometimes they didn't. Sometimes it was photos of themselves, sometimes it was photos of something they thought the other would find amusing, and sometimes it was a black photo with words scribbled on them. Sometimes, only rarely, one of them would take the time to create a funny drawing.

More often than not, there were multiple snaps from one of them, before the other could respond. They played the typical question game, and Stiles is positive that he knows more about Derek and his thoughts from Snap Chat than any other fan out there. At some point though, Stiles stops being a true fan and starts thinking of Derek as a friend. Whenever he has a bad day, he tells Derek, who will sometimes send funny ten second videos to cheer him up.

 _Oh god, the videos_. The videos had driven Stiles crazy. Derek's voice is insanely hot. Not to mention that he had sent Stiles a video of him singing _L-O-V-E_ by Nat King Cole. He hadn't gotten to the 'E' part of the chorus, but who the fuck cares? Stiles had responded with him singing the chorus of _Unforgettable_ by Nat King Cole.

There had been nights where they were both home early in the evening—earlier for Derek, since he's three hours behind Stiles—and they would spend eight hours snapping back and forth. There had been development in the flirting department.

Stiles had just received a snap from Derek of his chest, and nothing else. Naturally, Stiles takes a photo of his chest and then types, **Yours is better.** When he receives a snap back, Derek takes Stiles' breath away.

 **Don't sell yourself short.** It's a photo of Derek's shorts. _God_ , Stiles wishes he could screen shot this so he could prove to Scott and everyone else who knows that this just happened. Stiles shifts in his bed. God fucking dammit. The truth is that if he screen shoots _any_ of Derek's snaps, he knows that Derek will never snap him again. It's a thin line of trust with a stranger, a fan of something he does, and Stiles isn't ready to give Derek any reason to believe he's not a good guy.

Stiles sends him back a photo of his sweatpants, the tips of his fingers visibly disappearing underneath the band, and the caption, **Do you do this with everyone?**

He doesn't receive a response until the next day. It doesn't stop him from jerking off at the thought of Derek though. Not the Derek from his screen, or the character he plays, but the Derek he's kind of gotten to know through a damn iPhone app.

When the snap comes it, it's Derek smiling in a black dress shirt with a red tie. **Nope.**

Another photo comes in before Stiles can respond. He opens it quickly, not caring that he's in public and practically drooling. His eyes widened. Derek had just sent him a photo of his feet, probably because Stiles knows he's at work right now and totally snapping him stealthy, but the words on the screen are what has Stiles' heart racing. **Only Snap you regularly.**

 _Wow_ , that's ridiculously nice to know.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

Two months after the very first snap, Stiles glances around the bus. It's not super busy, but there are people behind him. He doesn't care. He flips the camera on his screen and gives it a smile. Then he types, **I just took a selfie in public 4 you**. Stiles sends it, before taking another selfie and writing, **Appreciate the shit out of that.**

Stiles frowns at his phone four hours later, seeing that Derek had clearly opened it and hadn't responded. Of course, the guy's probably busy with his whole acting job today. Derek works as an actor, but he also works as a bartender at an extremely fancy bar. Stiles had Googled it, and _dammit_ , he would love to go. Even _Jackson_ would probably have a hard time finding fault with it because it looked awesome.

When it's about midnight, and Stiles is still kind of bummed that Derek never responded to his snap, does he receive a response. Derek's clearly sitting on a bus. The caption is, **Took public transit just 4 you.** There's another snap afterwards. **And 2 selfies in public.**

Stiles can't help it. He swoons, and falls back on his bed. Honestly, this guy is trying to kill him. How could Stiles _not_ find that romantic? He's seen Derek's car—it's practically his baby, the way he snaps it with a billion hearts around it—and he knows that Derek never rides transit. When he's out drinking, he cabs it everywhere.

A smile, and a flutter of his heart, and Stiles hugs his phone. God fucking dammit, he wants to remember how this feels for a _long_ time.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

They've been snapping for six months, and the snaps have been getting extremely flirty. Not that Stiles minds. He might have been the one to start it. Eventually, it gets to a point where Stiles sends him a mirror shot of him in his boxers, and the question, **If I get naked, will you?**

The response from Derek comes in an hour and a half later. It's Derek in his boxers in front of a mirror (FYI, the background of his bathroom proves that he's so out of Stiles' league because what man can afford that shit at 27?), and the response, **Not that I don't trust you but—** Stiles flips through to open another photo, similar to the first— **I can't be Vanessa Hudgens...**

Dammit. But Stiles gets it, to be honest. The guy _is_ an actor, and even though they've been developing this friendship for half a year, it's not as though they're actually friends. Stiles shifts on his feet, and takes another boxer in the mirror shot. He writes, **Understood. I stay covered then.**

The response comes in about ten minutes later. Derek, pouting, but the photo reads, **Deal. Sorry, I really wish...**

Stiles waits almost an hour and realizes that Derek's not finishing that sentence. So he answers with his face, a bright smile on it, and the words, **No worries, sexy. I get it.**

Derek responds within a half hour. **God you're so hot though.**

“Dammit,” Stiles mutters to himself.

He doesn't answer the snap just yet, but calls up Scott to whine. Scott listens to the latest development, and then tells Stiles, “ _Dude, you should be keeping your clothes on. You two haven't even met. He's some actor, he probably gets nudes all the time or something._ ”

“Well, duh. I'm not going to, unless he does. Were you not listening?” Stiles sighs, and decides to make himself something to eat. He heads to his fridge. “How can I not respect his wishes? I mean, we don't hear much about Vanessa Hudgens, but I don't know if that had to do with her nudes. Either way, it's a PR mess when an actor's nudes get leaked. And he clearly doesn't trust me enough to _not_ screen shot it. Which I wouldn't.”

" _Really? I feel like you would want to have it for proof_ ,” Scott says. “ _Then again, you haven't done that since you said you wouldn't._ ”

“Well no duh, I want him to trust me. Maybe...it's so stupid. He lives a billion hours away, and there's no way I can ever meet him, so what's the point?” Stiles mutters. He puts a pot on the stove. “We haven't been snapping every day, but when we do, it's just so _nice_. I feel like if we met, we'd hit it off.”

“ _Does he know how old you are yet?_ ”

“Uh, no. But it's only five years, dude. Not a biggie.”

“ _I guess. He's got money, why don't you ask him to come up to Toronto_?”

“Scott, that's ridiculous. I won't do anything like that.”

“ _What about asking for his number?_ ”

“No, there are clear lines that we've set. Without talking about it. I don't want to breech them. I'm not going to be some crazy, creepy fan who wants to stalk him,” Stiles tells Scott.

“ _Dude, you've been talking almost every day for six months. I don't think he would think that._ ”

“I guess.”

“ _Listen, Allison and I are...well, I think we're going to break up soon. So um..._ ”

“Aw, shit, Scott, I'm so sorry. Here I am talking about my non-existent love life issues even though it's not _even_ a love life issue, and you have bigger ones. Tell me what's going on?” Stiles asks.

It's almost four hours later when they hang up. Stiles tries to resist checking to see if Derek's sent him another snap, and fails. Derek's sent him _four_.

The first one that had been sent is a selfie of him frowning. **Was that too weird?** The second one is Derek's floor (why does Stiles know that that's his bedroom floor?) and **I didn't mean to take it too far.** The third is of his closet door. **I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable.** And the last one, **Have a good night.**

Stiles rolls his eyes. Maybe that stereotype of actors being dramatic is accurate. He sends him a grinning face, and the words, **Dude, Scott called me.**

It should worry Stiles that Derek knows exactly who Scott is. That's almost too much information, but the truth is that Stiles has some pretty strong gut feelings about Derek Hale and who he is as a person.

**How is he? Made a decision about A?**

Stiles sends him a few snaps to update him on the lovelife of Scott McCall. It should be weird, but Stiles is happy that Derek cares. In fact, the last snap he sends before he goes to bed says just that. **Thanks for caring.**

Derek simply sends him a video of his smiling face, with his lazy voice saying, “ _Thank you for caring. For getting it._ ”

Stiles sleeps well that night.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“Oh my god, it's been _eight_ months,” Scott whines. “Can't you just wait to respond to him? Dude, I never get to see you, and when I do, you're just on your phone snapping _dhale25_ the entire time.”

Stiles blushes and puts his phone away, guiltily. “Sorry, Scott. I'm sorry. You're right. We've both just been busy, so we haven't been talking too often lately.”

“So, what, every other day?” Scott asks, pouting.

“Actually, this was the first time I've heard from Derek in a week. He's shooting some movie now, so his schedule's insane.” Stiles beams, because Derek had trusted him to tell him about the lawsuit he'd had to file against a previous movie he had signed up for. It'd been pretty interesting, and even more interesting when Derek had sent him a snap that read, **No one can know.** The one that followed that said, **My parents don't even know yet.**

God damn, that'd been a good day. But then Derek had gotten super busy, and so did Stiles. Work was keeping Stiles insanely busy, that he'd snap Derek occasionally on his breaks—if he even got breaks, that is.

Stiles slides closer to Scott so he can put an arm around him. “I'm sorry, man. Bros before random actors that I snap on Snap Chat. Always.”

Scott smiles. “Seriously though dude, I think you've even been annoying Jackson when you guys hang out. He was talking about how obsessive you are—”

“Nothing new.”

“—and I kind of think he misses you. You've been _so_ wrapped up in this actor guy. Who, I get, is part of your favourite show to ever exist. But c'mon, he can't be _that_ great.” Scott shakes his head. “Not when I'm here!”

Stiles laughs. “No, he's not _that_ great 'cause _you're_ that great. Let me kick your ass.”

“Deal.”

They turn the XBox on.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“Hey, how are things with _Derek_?” Erica asks one day, full smirk on her face.

Stiles shrugs. “I've been so busy, that I don't think I replied to his last snap. That was...I guess a week and a bit ago?”

“Really?” Erica asks, frowning. “Just how hard have you been working, Stilinski? Because that's highly unusual for you. How long have you been snapping him?”

Stiles thinks about it for a minute, and then shrugs. “I guess this would be approaching a year in a few weeks. He's still working on that movie.”

“And dealing with the lawsuit, I bet,” Erica says, shaking her head. “I still can't believe he told you about that. I saw it in the news a few weeks ago, but you knew _forever_ ago.”

“Yeah,” Stiles says. He yawns. “He sent me an almost-nude the day they made it public.”

“ _Really_?” she asks again, eyebrows raised. “Did you send him a full nude back?”

“No, I just asked him to talk about it. That was the night full of videos, but it's been pretty quiet since.” Stiles yawns again. “Why are we even talking about him? You _know_ that I've been trying to put some distance between him and I.”

Erica pouts fully now. “Yeah, but...I don't know. I guess I just thought that somehow you two would like meet or something. It was pretty intense there, for a long time.”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I know. That's why the distance is good for us. It was too intense.”

“Some day, you're going to fucking go to L.A. and you're gonna meet him.”

“Yeah, _right_.”

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

A snap comes in at 3AM from Derek Hale around their year and a month anniversary. Not that Stiles is keeping track or anything. Derek's gorgeous face and chest are on his screen for ten glorious seconds, but the _awful shitty_ words are also on his screen for ten horrific seconds. **Deleting app. Have gf.**

Stiles' stomach drops. He can't fucking stop himself from replying. He doesn't send his face, because he doesn't want Derek Hale to see how fucking disappointed he is. The words on the screen are simple: **Thanks for letting me know.**

Then he sends another quick one with: **Hope you're happy.**

He knows that it seems childish, because Derek will know that that's exactly how he meant it. It's been long enough that they'd learned how to read each other's tones. Hell, Stiles had been having a bad day back in May. Derek had picked up on it instantly. Stiles had admitted that it was the anniversary of his mother's death. And then Derek had _been_ there. Through Snap Chat, the world's stupidest app ever, but _still_. He'd made Stiles smile. More than once. And not feel like complete and absolute shit on the worse day of the year.

And now he's deleting the app because he has a _girlfriend_.

Yeah, okay, yeah, sure, whatever.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“Wanna talk about it?” Scott asks, as he reaches for Kira's hand.

Stiles looks at them, and shakes his head. “No, there's nothing to be upset about. He's just some actor dude who I snapped with, and now he has a girlfriend.”

“But you liked him,” Kira says.

“How could I actually _like_ him? I don't _know_ him. We sent photos back and forth with stupid captions, and sometimes sent videos. It's not like we met and fell in love or anything. It's _fine_ . I'm _fine_.” Stiles shakes his head, and then glances down at his phone. Had he gotten used to not seeing Derek's name on his screen? Of course not, it'd only been two weeks. He shoves it into his backpack. “Seriously, there's nothing to be upset about.”

“I hate to say it kiddo,” Erica says, with a pout. She turns her phone to show him a photo of Derek and a pretty girl kissing his cheek from Instagram. “But they look happy together.”

“ _Good_ , because she's _there_ with him. I can't be.” Stiles stands up, grabs his backpack, and then leaves without another word.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

PRESENT DAY

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

Stiles jumps when his phone buzzes. He rushes over to pick it up. Derek's name is on the screen. Okay, so maybe he'd been bummed out when Derek had gone and left their Snap Chat relationship, and maybe that's the only reason he'd kept the stupid app on his phone, but Stiles isn't going to hold a grudge. That had been just over a year ago. And Derek's _back_.

He opens the photo, and feels someone punch him in the gut (metaphorically, of course, because he's home alone).

It's just a black screen, with the words written in messy, yellow writing, **Will be in Toronto tomorrow.**

Stiles watches as the photo disappears. He tries to understand it. What is that supposed to _mean_ ? Honestly, this _actor dude_ can't just come out of the blue and, what, expect Stiles is totally down to meet him?

He _had_ been excited that Derek had snapped him, but this is just...not what he was expecting.

He responds after a mental debate ten minutes later. He doesn't send his face, just a photo of a red blanket, and types, **Cool.**

_Let him chew on that._

Stiles is starting to panic though, so he calls Erica. He tells her, quick as possible, what just happened, and she screams. “ _Stiles you better fucking meet him! You were obsessed with him for a fucking year. Don't fuck this up! Oh my god, Stilinski, I will kick your fucking ass if you're an asshole about this. You know he broke up with his girlfriend. You know it. You told me last month yourself._ ”

“Erica, this is the most ridiculous fucking situation ever. I can't just meet him.”

“ _Why not? He just told you that you're going to be in the same place for once!_ ”

“Because, I just can't meet someone off the internet—”

“ _Oh my god, Stiles. He's not just someone off the internet. Remember that time that he rode the bus just so he could take a selfie in public for you?_ ” Erica's voice softens. “ _C'mon, Stiles, before it faded out, it was pretty good. Do this for yourself, please._ ”

Stiles sighs. “Fuck. Erica. Just. Fuck. Oh my god. Okay, fuck. If this turns to shit, I'm blaming you.”

The response he gets is a high-pitch squeal. Jesus, since when does Erica get this excited over anything except Boyd? Stiles has to admit, he really likes Boyd. They'd met online, and Erica had spent a month telling Stiles how _boring_ this guy was, but she had lost a bet with Stiles so she had to go on a date with him. Stiles hasn't seen Erica as happy as she is with Boyd, and likes to pretend that he had a part in it. So maybe it's fair that she has a stake in this _thing_ too.

He hangs up with her five minutes later, and checks his phone. Nope, Derek hadn't responded. He'd opened it though.

It's not until Stiles is crawling into bed, when he receives another snap. When Stiles opens it, he almost drops his phone.

Derek is standing in front of his bathroom mirror, a shot that Stiles has memorized, but the only difference is that Derek is _completely and bareass naked_ . The words read, **I trust you. Please?**

Stiles isn't sure who the _hell_ Derek thinks he is. They hadn't talked for over a year and suddenly, he's all ready and willing to do...to come to Toronto to meet Stiles? _Yeah, okay_ . It's not like Stiles hadn't kept tabs on Derek. It's hard _not_ to, considering he's always all over Stiles' social media feeds. Stiles hadn't been able to unfollow him on anything.

The thing is that Stiles gets it. Derek had told him on multiple occasions that he wished he could do the full-nude thing, but he just had to protect his career. And Stiles gets that, really, he does. So the fact that Derek had just trusted him, after not talking for a _year_ , with that nude means something.

It means something in such a huge way, that Stiles is positive he'll never get it into words. Stiles responds with a photo of his coffee cup. **Starbucks. Yonge and King. 7pm.**

He receives a black photo. The words **I'll be there** are bright on his screen. Derek had also signed it **D**.

He texts Erica to tell her what just happened.

 **STILES:** _we're meeting tomorrow at starbucks at 7pm_

 **ERICA:** _I AM SO PROUD OF YOU  
_ **ERICA:** _don't tell me which starbucks or I'll show up_

 **STILES:** _yonge and king  
_ **STILES:** _I'll need someone to be there to excuse me if it goes badly_

 **ERICA:** _omg, Boyd's even excited  
_ **ERICA:** _we'll be there, baby_

 **STILES:** _he, uh, he sent me a full nude_

 **ERICA:** _WHAT  
_ **ERICA:** _I THOUGHT HE DIDN'T DO THAT???_

 **STILES:** _he said, “I trust you. Please?”_

 **ERICA:** _oh my god, that's better than everything ever  
_ **ERICA:** _this is going to be so good_

 **STILES:** _erica, it's been a year, why would he trust me?_

 **ERICA:** _because stiles, it's like I said back then—there's something there_

 **STILES:** _it's fucking Snap Chat though_

 **ERICA:** _who cares how you got to know each other?  
_ **ERICA:** _isn't the point that you DID get to know each other_

 **STILES:** _huh, when you put it like that it seems less weird_

 **ERICA:** _I know, I'm a beautiful wise woman who wants you to be happy_

 **STILES:** _thanks, but this is going to be weird, you know that right?_

 **ERICA:** _it's going to be great, whatcha gonna wear?_

 **STILES:** _idk, I should ask Lydia_

 **ERICA:** _offended!_

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

When Stiles shows up twenty minutes early to Starbucks, he walks up to the counter. He'd purposefully ignored Derek Hale's snaps today, and had put his phone back into his pocket the three times it'd gone off. He orders his favourite drink, and just as he receives it, he spots Derek sitting at a table in the back looking _fucking good_.

Stiles glances over at the Starbuck's clock. Derek hadn't walked in since Stiles had got here, so he definitely had been here for over twenty minutes. Stiles quickly texts Erica.

 

 **STILES:** _he's already here so_

 **ERICA:** _we're walking over from Church—be there in a few!  
_ **ERICA:** _how gorgeous is he?_

 **STILES:** _better than on screen_

 **ERICA:** _perfect_

 

He puts his phone away, and walks over. Stiles pauses once he reaches the table, and Derek looks up at him. He's wearing big black glasses, and Stiles is _floored_ with just how gorgeous this man is.

“I didn't know you wore glasses.”

 _That_ is the first thing he says to _Derek Hale_? Of all the first lines to say to someone after having such a strange relationship like they had—Derek smiles and Stiles forgets everything else. “They're new, as of the other week. Hi, Stiles. Um. Would you wanna sit?”

“Su—sure,” Stiles stammers. He sits down, letting his left hand settle close to Derek's. He takes a moment to soak in the sight of actually seeing this man in person. “You look...wow, you look better in person.”

Derek ducks his head a little, and mumbles a quiet “thanks” before he glances around the Starbucks. “Do you come here often?”

Stiles shakes his head. “No, but I was gonna be in the area. I live in the midtown area of...why _are_ you here?”

Stiles can't resist. Fuck, why is this gorgeous man here? He watches Derek's reaction carefully. He doesn't seem cut off, but he seems embarrassed, and Stiles _needs_ to know why. After a minute, Derek says, “I'll be honest with you, Stiles. My agent, who's my sister, Cora, she's not happy with me.”

“Alright?” Stiles prompts when he doesn't continue.

Derek looks down and studies his Starbucks cup. He runs a finger around the rim, and then adds, “She sent me to Toronto. To meet...you.”

Stiles frowns. “Um, I'm not following. We haven't talked in over a year.”

“And yet...I can't stop thinking about you.” Derek sighs. He meets Stiles' eyes. “God, you'd think that I'd be better at _this_ , wouldn't you?”

“Not really,” Stiles says, with a shrug. He gently puts his hand on Derek's, as though that had been his plan since the second he'd sat down. “This is awkward, and weird, and I don't think there's any protocol for this. I doubt _anyone_ else has done this. But I promise it's safe. I won't laugh, I won't run around and tell anyone, I won't go to the press.”

Derek nods. “You mean that, don't you?”

“Yep,” Stiles responds. “You said you trust me.”

“I do.” Derek looks at their hands. “I know it's stupid. I meet so many people in my line of work, y'know, and no one's ever made me feel like...and then Cora made me date my coworker, Jennifer, but she turned out to be fucking _insane_.”

“I heard.”

Derek nods. “Yeah. So then I was single again, and I was free to think about you guilt-free. See, I might have been dating Jennifer for publicity, but...it wouldn't be fair to her if I wasn't faithful.”

Stiles fills the silence with, “Listen, you don't _really_ owe me an explanation.”

“No, but I want to tell you. It's so fucking stupid, to meet someone on _Snap Chat—_ which, FYI, I think is a stupid app—but I just got so used to seeing your face and reading your words and occasionally hearing your voice.” Derek shrugs. “I'm supposed to be—”

“Excuse me?” a feminine voice comes. They both turn and look up. A young woman smiles at them. “Are you Derek Hale from—”

“I am,” he says, giving her a warm smile. “Would you like a photo?”

“ _Yes_!” she squeals. She looks so nervous, like she might burst. Stiles remembers feeling that happiness when he'd first started snapping Derek. He smiles at her. She asks, “Would you take it, please?”

“Of course,” Stiles says. He takes her phone from her and snaps about six photos of them.

“Could I...could I take a photo of the two of you?” she asks, her eyes wide.

Derek glances at Stiles, who smiles. “Sure. Don't post it anywhere on the internet, but when you tell your friends, tell him that Derek Hale is groveling for my love.”

She laughs, clearly not taking him too seriously. They smile for the photo and she thanks them before she adds, “I won't post it _anywhere_.”

“It'll be all over the internet in ten minutes, you know that right?” Derek asks when she leaves.

“Have some trust in people, _god_.” Stiles lets out a laugh though. “I didn't turn out to be all that bad, did I?”

Derek shakes his head. “I told Cora that I just knew that you got it. Not screen shotting photos or...the full...and she just said that you were bidding your time until I gave you something seriously juicy.”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “ _Please_ , I would have been so shell-shocked that I don't think I would've had the ability to screen shot anything.”

Derek laughs. Stiles immediately falls in love with the sound. How can he not? He hears a familiar voice, and glances over to see that Erica and Boyd had walked in. She isn't being subtle at all, smacking Boyd in the chest and pointing. Derek quietly says, “I'm sorry that people are staring.”

“Don't be. Those are mine,” Stiles tells him, shaking his head. He looks over at Derek again. “They just wanted to make sure you weren't going to like murder me or something.”

“Oh, is that Erica, Lydia, Allison, or...?” Derek asks.

Stiles freezes. “Why...why do you remember my friends' names? We didn't talk about them much. That's just...”

“Please don't say creepy,” Derek says. He frowns. “I just have a good memory for names and things. It's an actor thing—you meet so many people, you just learn how to file away things. And they seemed important to you.”

“Erica.” Stiles doesn't stand up, even though he's pretty sure any normal person would have left by now. He just looks at him. “So why are you here again?”

“Because...I don't know. God, this is _so weird_. I just...I had to know if there was anything here. Between us. And I know it's been like a year, and you're probably dating someone, because why wouldn't you be dating someone, but—”

“Whoa, dude, _I'm_ the one who's supposed to be bad at social shit and rambling. You're the well-fined actor who's supposed to be able to act like you got your shit together.” Stiles lets out a small laugh. “I get it, okay? You're just as curious as I am. So why don't we forget how...weird and strange and odd...this situation is and just have some Starbucks and talk?”

Stiles watches all of the tension leave Derek. “Yeah, okay, thanks.”

“So I saw your movie,” Stiles tells him, hoping that Derek can't hear the hesitation in his voice. Derek's eyes widen. “It was _really_ good. Like, holy shit, what's it like being a teen heartthrob overnight?”

“Honestly?” Derek asks, and Stiles nods. “ _It fucking sucks._ ”

“Aw, muffin,” Stiles teases. And then it occurs to him that they can finally have the long discussion about things that they never could before because _Derek Hale is sitting in front of him_. Stiles realizes that he hadn't really believed that this is happening until right now. Stiles sees that his hand is still resting on Derek's. He can't stop himself from squeezing a little. Yeah, it's real.

It's real.

Holy shit.

Stiles dives into a long rave as to why Derek's movie worked, and how excited he was at the end when he realized that the movie hadn't gone with a cliched ending. He doesn't notice that Erica and Boyd leave an hour later, knowing that Stiles is going to be just fine. He just sits with the stupidest grin on his face when Derek interrupts him to throw in his own thoughts and ideas about whatever the topic is.

When people come up to ask for a photo or an autograph, Stiles can't resist beaming at Derek. It's pretty cool, but Stiles also realizes that it must be exhausting. So when the last couple leaves, giggling about how they'd just met _Derek Hale_ , Stiles asks if he wants to come over to his place.

“Maybe my hotel room is safer. Your friends won't think I'm a creepy stalker that way,” Derek suggests.

“It's fucking insanity, really, but I think I trust you enough to take you home.” Stiles laughs. “What do you think?”

“I'm a little honoured,” Derek murmurs, following him out the door.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“You're kidding me, right?” Scott demands four days later. Stiles had just told him that he'd had Derek Hale over for the night. Not that they'd gotten it on or anything. They had literally _just_ met for the first time.

But oh my god, they had talked. They hadn't stopped talking. And they'd fallen asleep in Stiles' bed, holding hands. It was so sweet, it was making Stiles stomach sick. Derek's in the city for about a week—that's all his agent would allow, and Stiles has to admit he likes Derek's hardass sister—so Stiles is trying to make the most of it.

Not that he or Derek had even kissed.

That would be insane.

Although Derek showing up in the city hoping to see Stiles is also insane. And Stiles meeting Derek is fucking nuts.

But that all happened.

So why _hadn't_ Derek and Stiles kissed yet? Really, since they've jumped on board the crazy train, what's stopping them?

“Erica, tell him!” Stiles says.

“You should've seen them, Scott. They were _so_ cute.” Erica beams. “Boyd and I hung around long enough to agree that Stiles isn't in any danger because Derek is totally into Stiles. You remember how intense it'd gotten.”

Scott frowns. “I don't like it. What if he—”

“Scott, will you _please_ just meet him? He's on his way over _right now._ ” Stiles starts to pace. “I just...look, we're not doing anything sexual or anything like that. We're just getting to know each other. I know it's crazy. _Trust me,_ I know, but _oh my god_ , I haven't felt like this before. This is...it's the real deal. I just know it. My entire body knows it.”

“Maybe you just want to get laid,” Scott suggests.

“No, Scott, this is it.”

Scott looks at his best friend, and Stiles knows that he's trying to make sure that Stiles is being 100% serious without an ounce of drama. Scott shrugs. “Fine, I'll stay to meet him.”

Stiles practically falls onto the love seat in relief.

“They're so cute together,” Erica says, reassuringly.

“I'm sure any guy who flies to a different country to meet someone isn't going to kill them,” Kira adds with a hand on Scott's shoulder.

Scott, feeling as though he should give up, looks over at Allison and her new boyfriend, Isaac. It probably should be weird that Scott and them still hang out with his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. It isn't. Stiles is also pretty proud that Allison and Kira had bonded and become close friends. Allison smiles. “I trust Stiles, and Erica. It'll be fine.”

“See?” Stiles says, mouthing 'thank you' to Allison.

“I said I'd meet him, alright? I just...I worry about you, Stiles. You've never been like this over a crush before,” Scott sighs. “I just don't want you to get hurt.”

“I know,” Stiles says. He walks over and hugs his best friend. “I like that you're protective over me.”

“I love you, man.”

“Love you too.”

_Knock, knock._

“Showtime,” Erica says, grinning. She kisses Boyd, and Stiles rolls his eyes.

When he answers the door, Derek is holding a bouquet of flowers. Wow. What. Do guys do that? Stiles doesn't care, he's touched. Then he notices the two big men behind Derek, and Derek says, apologetically, “My sister sent my bodyguards. I didn't realize that I would be mobbed by fans.”

“Well you're a big shot movie star now,” Stiles says, with amusement as he lets them in. “You're going up in the world.”

“Thanks. These, are, well, they're for you. I don't know if boys buy boys flowers but...”

“I love them,” Stiles says with a grin. He leans forward and kisses Derek's cheek. “They're perfect. Alright, let's officially introduce you to my friends.”

Scott's arms are crossed, and he's frowning at Derek. Derek steps forward and holds out a hand. “You must be Scott. Stiles loves you a lot.”

Scott breaks down, and gives him an easygoing smile. “Nice to meet you, Derek. I love Stiles a lot so if you ever do anything to hurt him I'll—”

“Maybe save the threats for when there aren't two looming bodyguards around,” Kira suggests. She smiles at Derek, and Stiles is so happy she's here. She says, “Kira.”

“Erica, this is Boyd,” Erica says from where she's curled up on Boyd's lap in the chair. “We were stalking you the other night.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Derek says, with a smile. “It's nice that you came to keep an eye on Stiles. I appreciate it.” He turns to the remaining two. “You must be Allison.”

“Aw, Stiles, you talked about me?” Allison melts and gives Derek her warmest smile. Who the fuck doesn't _love_ Allison? Stiles thinks with a grin. “This is my boyfriend, Isaac.”

“Hey man,” Isaac says, shaking his hand.

“Where's Lydia?” Derek asks, glancing around. “I figured she'd be here, being the love of your life and all.”

An awkward silence falls on everyone except Stiles who laughs. “Oh she's in London, with her boyfriend, Jackson. She went to visit, but she's been there for a few months now. She'll be home sometime before September.”

Derek smiles. “Oh right, I think you told me that.”

“It's fine. Who's hungry?”

Scott, who had silently approved of Derek, says, “I want Mexican. Who else is in?”

“I like Mexican,” Isaac says.

It's decided.

And if when they head out of the apartment, and Stiles reaches out to put his hand in Derek's, Stiles feels a strange settling of _rightness,_ he isn't arguing.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

THREE YEARS LATER

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

" _You better be coming home for Christmas_ ,” Lydia threatens. She's still mad at Stiles for going to Los Angeles for four months when she'd gotten home from London a few years ago. He just laughs.

“We'll be home for Christmas, _promise_.” Stiles glances over to the set, where Derek's taking his shirt off for the next scene. He keeps his voice down, because they'll be shooting soon, and heads towards Derek's dressing room. “How's Jackson?”

“ _Good. But even he misses you a bit._ ”

“Well, I was going to wait until Christmas to tell you this but you know how Derek went out for pilot season?” he asks, and then continues after Lydia makes a noise of agreement. “ _Well_ , he got his own TV show.”

“ _That's awesome._ ” She's still pouting, Stiles can sense it.

“In Toronto.”

“ _That's_ awesome!” she says, laughing. “ _Oh my god, Stiles, this is so great! When you guys come home, I'll plan a congratulations party for him!_ ”

“Thanks, Lydia, I appreciate it. Is Erica there, I'd like to talk to her.”

“ _She is. Hey, Erica, it's Stiles, yeah he would. Bye, Stiles. Love you!_ ” Lydia shouts into the phone.

“Love you too!”

“ _Hey stud muffin, how are you?_ ” Erica asks.

“Great! Derek and I were just talking about where we're going to crash for Christmas, and I don't really want to stay at my dad's so...”

“ _Sure_ ,” Erica says, sounding content. “ _Boyd will love to have you guys around. How is the big movie star?_ ”

“About to become a TV star, actually. For a Canadian show,” Stiles adds. Derek's going to kill him when he finds out.

“ _What? Oh my god, that's so great! I knew you two would work out. It's fate, Stilinski._ ”

“Actually, it was Snap Chat.”

“ _Don't tell your kids that_ ,” Erica teases. “ _Think you're gonna fall in line of McCall and put a ring on his finger?_ ”

“Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I have a really cheesy idea, but I'm going to need your stealthiness to help me when we come home,” Stiles tells her.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

CHRISTMAS

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“Derek, my phone's dead, and I want to text Boyd something. Can I borrow your phone for a minute?” Erica asks.

Stiles stops breathing in anticipation.

“Sure,” Derek says, handing her his phone. “Don't go through my photos.”

She snorts. “Trust me, I do _not_ want to see Stiles' dick.”

Stiles tells Derek that he'll be right back, he's going to help Lydia in the kitchen. He gives Derek a quick kiss on the cheek. Derek isn't suspicious at all, _thank god_. Stiles adjusts his outfit before he poses.

Lydia snaps the photo. “Oh man, this is going to be _so_ great. I'll save a copy of this because heaven knows that Derek won't have time to screen shot it.”

Stiles grins.

Erica slips into the kitchen. “Phase one is complete. The app has been downloaded, and thankfully, Hale uses the same password for everything so the one you gave me worked.”

“He's predictable. Think he'd be more careful considering how famous he is,” Stiles jokes. He's nervous though.

“Alright, Stiles, press send when you go out there and be prepared to make that man happy,” Lydia tells him.

He takes his phone from her, his chest tight with anticipation, and he's trying to focus on his breathing.

The three of them join everyone in the living room. Stiles presses send, and just waits as Derek pulls out his phone—which Cora had taken off silent mode. He frowns, and looks at Stiles. “What's this? Since when do I still have that app on my phone?”

“Just...” Stiles waves with his hand, not being able to say anything else.

While Derek's staring at his screen, jaw dropped, Stiles bends down on one knee. He holds out the little box, and Derek throws his phone to the ground. “Yes! Yes.”

Stiles laughs, his body going lax with relief, and then tangles himself in Derek's arms as they kiss. He pulls back and says, “You're such a sap.”

“We're never, _ever_ telling the press that you proposed to me over _Snap Chat_.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> There's an actor (who I'm obviously not going to name) that did what Derek does in this story - gives out his Snap Chat username. I added him, and the first snaps that Stiles receives in this story are very similar to the ones that I did. I had a pretty awesome Snap Chat relationship with this actor for about six/seven-ish months, and it kind of went the same way that I made Sterek's go, to be honest. 
> 
> The bit about Derek taking transit just to take a selfie in public? That happened to me. It was cute. Anywaaaaay, he got a girlfriend and apologized to me (I still have no idea why?) and just today he sent me a Snap.
> 
> Naturally, I just couldn't resist the idea of Stiles snapping a sexy actor!Derek, so this is what became of that. So while most of this is loosely based on/inspired by the story above, it took a life of it's own. Obviously, I have never met said actor, and I probably never will. But I needed Sterek to meet for obvious reasons.
> 
> I hope it wasn't awful. Sorry if it was awful though.
> 
> My tumblr is [ foxerica ](http://www.foxerica.tumblr.com) (if you followed me from ao3, feel free to let me know!). 
> 
> Feel free to add me on Snap Chat: ericaismeg. (The Snaps I've been getting have been so awesome, you guys! I love getting feedback from you via Snap Chat. It's been so cool. I'm screenshotting the fic comments/compliments - but they will not be posted anywhere, I PROMISE. I just like being able to hold onto them, because they make me happy!)
> 
>    
> [ For updates on my personal Snap Chat story, go here. ](http://foxerica.tumblr.com/tagged/fox-erica-snaps)


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